Acquired Communication Disorders at University of Sheffield at Main

This course is for speech and language therapists/pathologists, linguists, psychologists or others with a relevant background who have an interest in acquired communication disorders such as aphasia, dysarthria and the communication difficulties secondary to dementia or traumatic brain injury.

Students will develop their knowledge and skills of evidence-based practice so that they can effectively support people with acquired speech, language and communication difficulties. The MSc will provide students with an up-to-date understanding of the main theoretical and clinical issues and approaches in this field and the implications of these findings for clinical intervention.

On the course, students will develop:

• an understanding of current research and recent clinical developments within acquired speech and language disorders, including aphasia, dysarthria, and the communication difficulties associated with dementia and traumatic brain injury
• an understanding of both impairment-focused analytic approaches to these disorders, including neuropsychological and psycholinguistic perspectives, and functional approaches, including communicative, psychosocial and interactional perspectives
• knowledge of current intervention methods in the treatment of acquired communication disorders that draw on both impairment-focused and functionally-focused approaches
• competency in quantitative and qualitative research design and methods relevant to analysing and carrying out intervention for these disorders